I received my MA results today (distinction!!), which means I can finally share this interview. George very kindly exchanged e-mails with me while I was working on my dissertation, which was a study of same-sex desire and intimacy in Les Misérables. I basically wanted to see if it was viable to view Enjolras and Grantaire’s relationship as something more intimate than friendship, without becoming anachronistic. I explored the subtext present in their section of the novel, drawing upon both ancient Greek and 19th century Parisian modes of same-sex desire, as well Victor Hugo’s own life and other literature circulating at the time in my analysis, and extended that to examine how representations of their relationship changed in reinterpretations of it in the musical, the 2012 musical and online fandom, which is where George comes in! He asked to share this interview on Twitter – his answers are great at exploring an actor’s process, as well as being a really fantastic and valuable contribution to what I was writing about; I’m super excited about sharing his thoughts and I hope you all enjoy reading them!
This sumptuous drama is set in a world of power, politics, betrayal, lust and declarations of war. The year is 1667 and King Louis XIV is a 28 year-old monarch on the cusp of greatness. A 17th century rock star and an utterly ruthless leader, he will stop at nothing to seize control of France and his enemies – and his weapon is the construction of a new seat of power and authority – the most beautiful palace in Europe and a symbol of absolute monarchy: Versailles.
Versailles takes the period genre to new dimensions, injecting a vibrant modernity into an era that put France at the epicentre of glamour, culture and fashion. The series stars George Blagden (Les Miserables, The Vikings) and Alexander Vlahos (Merlin) as Louis and his brother Philippe and was brought to life by a critically acclaimed creative team including showrunners Simon Mirren (Without a Trace, Criminal Minds), David Wolstencroft (Spooks, The Escape Artist), producers Claude Chelli (Braquo) and Anne Thomopoulos (Rome, The Tudors) and director Jalil Lespert (Yves Saint Laurent).
To accompany the drama, historians Lucy Worsley and Helen Castor draw back the curtain on the seductive world of the real Louis XIV to reveal how he became the longest serving absolute monarch in European history. As they discover in this special one hour film, it was a feat all the more remarkable as he presided over a court beset by Machiavelian intrigue, revenge, sexual scandal and bitter betrayal.
Versailles, Palace of the Playboy King is Executive Produced by Eamon Hardy, BBC Television.
It still amazes me someone assigned to an ensemble role in a movie full of Hollywood actors based on a musical that gives very little opportunity to the ensemblians was so heavily invested in giving a well informed portrayal of the character that in spite of how little screen time he got he worked in as much character building and subtext as he did like wow.
Honestly, first time I saw the Les Mis movie I didn’t know much about it. But when George Blagden as Grantaire came on screen he struck me. No idea why. He’s good looking of course. But there was something in his acting that just kept catching my eye; a sadness, a mischief, a humor. It was incredible to watch coz here was a character I had no idea of, not even his name, but I got so invested in him by the end of the film I had to find out. George did such a great job.
Welcome to VERSAILLES – a world of power, betrayal, love, lust and declarations of war
King
Louis XIV of France is a 17th century rock star, an extraordinary
strategist and an utterly ruthless ruler. The year is 1667. Louis is 28
and finally in sole command of his kingdom. Haunted by childhood
memories of a bitter coup against his father, he commissions the most
beautiful palace in Europe, Versailles.
The nobles crave
entry to this lavish château, not realising that its purpose is to
imprison and control them. One of Louis’ prime targets is his younger
brother, Monsieur, an effeminate dandy and formidable warrior. The court
is also a battleground for love as Louis’ queen, Marie Therese, fights
to tame his wandering eye. Can she win back his heart from his mistress,
the sister of the King of England?
This epic drama takes us on a
thrilling journey into the most glamourous period in history, where the
cult of celebrity was born. A world of power, betrayal, love, lust and
declarations of war, where courtiers battle for the King’s favour. This
is Versailles in all its brutal glory.
Cast & Crew
DirectorJalil Lespert, Christoph Schrewe, Thomas Vincent, Daniel Roby
Key talent(s)
George
Blagden,
Alexander Vlahos, Tygh Runyan, Amira Casar, Stuart Bowman,
Dominique Blanc, Noémie Schmidt, Evan Williams, Anna Brewster, Sarah
Winter, Anatole Taubman
Executive Producer(s)
Simon Mirren, David Wolstencroft
Writer(s)
Simon Mirren & David Wolstencroft, André Jacquemetton & Maria Jacquemetton, Sasha Hails, Andrew Bampfield
“average person has E/R feels three times per day” factoid actualy just statistical error. average person has E/R feels 0 times per day. Georg Blagden, who covers songs without changing the pronouns and has E/R feels 10,000 times each day, is an outlier adn should not have been counted
